ON the pitch he was the best of his generation - off it, he’s proving so much more.

Former Newcastle United hero Alan Shearer has added another prize to his prolific list of achievements.

At a special ceremony, the record breaking goalscorer was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship in recognition of his outstanding work for the community.

Awarded by The Rotary Club of Newcastle West, the accolade was presented by district governor Les Fay in a prestigious ceremony.

It marks the highest achievement on offer from the organisation and was handed to the 40-year-old for his prolific charity work.

Rotarian David Gregory said: “This is the highest honour that the Rotary Club offers worldwide.

“It’s for someone who makes a big contribution to the community and Alan is involved in all sorts of things.

“Alan breaks the mould. He’s a good role model and you don’t hear bad stories about him.”

Among those causes backed by Shearer are the Alan Shearer Centre in Newcastle’s West End which helps needy youngsters and their families, the Alan Shearer Academy Scholarship Scheme, the Sports Relief Campaign, the NSPCC and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

Shearer, Newcastle’s all-time record goal scorer and the Premier League’s top marksman, was also presented with a cheque for £500 for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation by Ian Bee, president of the Newcastle West Rotary Club.

The charity was set up by Sir Bobby in 2008 before his death and has gone on to raise more than £2.5m to fight cancer at a specialist research centre based at Newacstle’s Freeman Hospital..

Today other charity chiefs spoke of Shearer’s good work in the community.

NSPCC head of fundraising for the North East, Wendy Bates, said: “Alan Shearer has been an active supporter of the NSPCC for a number of years and we are delighted to have him as an ambassador.

“He shows a great commitment to improving the lives of children and young people in the North East and across the UK and gives up a lot of his spare time to support fundraising events and raise awareness of our campaigning work.

“We are very grateful for all the work Alan has done over the years for the NSPCC and we look forward to continuing to work with him in the future.